1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vises used to secure a workpiece for fabrication of components and parts. More particularly, this invention relates to replaceable soft jaws within the vise into which a workpiece is set and secured for machining.
2. Description of Related Art
Machine vises are employed in many different machine tools such as milling machines, shapers and drill presses for providing a gripping surface to support and secure a workpiece to the machine. The machine vises commonly have a stationary receiving plate and a movable receiving plate mounted in opposition to each other. Jaws are replaceably mounted upon each of the receiving plates for gripping a workpiece, as the movable receiving plate with its jaw is shifted toward the fixed receiving plate with its jaw.
The jaws may be formed from hardened steel or alloy compositions in order to permit their continued use over long periods of time. However, the jaws are commonly formed from relatively soft metals such as aluminum or aluminum alloys. The soft jaws are commonly used where it is desired to provide a particular gripping configuration on the face of the insert. For example, grooves or channels are commonly cut along the face or along one edge of the soft jaws in order to better adapt the soft jaws to a particular workpiece being secured by the vise.
A machinist generally cuts the grooves and channels cut into the soft jaws by first establishing an appropriate set of reference axes. From the reference axes, the operator then cuts the grooves and channels that effectively form a template. The soft jaws with the template formed therein is used to secure a workpiece during the machining, drilling, milling, cutting, and shaping to fabricate a finished item or part.
Upon completion of a run or fabrication of a requested lot of parts, it is common for the soft jaws with the template formed therein, to be removed from the machine vise for storage pending reuse. If another request for more parts is received the soft jaws are retrieved from storage and reattached to a machine vise. The machine vise used may not necessarily be the original vise used to fabricate the original parts. The machinist then attempts to align the soft jaws so as to establish the original reference axes. This is a difficult process requiring repeated trial and error to establish the reference axes and it is not uncommon to scrap of numerous parts. Often the machinist will become frustrated, reestablish the reference axes and re-cut the grooves and channels in the existing soft jaw until there can be no new template cuts made in the soft jaw. A new soft jaw is then cut to establish the reference axis and the template, thus causing not only waste of the original soft jaws, but also waste of time and material in attempting to reuse the original templated soft jaws.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,629 (Carlson) describes an accessory apparatus for vises that utilizes a pair of accessory members. One member has a Z-shaped cross-section and is secured to the stationary receiving plate of the vise. The other accessory member also has a Z-shaped cross-section that is secured to the moveable receiving plate of the vise. The accessory apparatus as described, provides three ranges of gripping areas. Two of the ranges are provided having zero radius gripping corners on the plates supporting the work clamped by the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,158 (Engibarov) illustrates a soft jaw for a machine vise. The jaw assembly is used on a slideway of a machine table includes one or more guide rods over which a vise jaw freely slides. No fasteners or mounting members are required to mount and demount the jaw from the assembly. Before the jaw is tightened to apply a clamping force, it is held in an unbiased condition without the need for biasing springs.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,126 (Brzezinski) describes a vise jaw and a bolt to attach the vise jaw to the receiver plates of the vise.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,792 (Di Marco) describes a soft jaw attachment system for a vise. The soft jaw attachment is prestressed to ensure tightness of the attachment of the soft jaw to the vice jaw.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,772 (Wight, et al.) teaches a replaceable vise jaw insert assembly for mounting on either the fixed or movable vise jaw of a mill vise. The vise jaw insert assembly includes a clamping member. Facing surfaces of the clamping member and vise jaw are spaced apart and inclined relatively toward each other. An insert member having a wedge-shaped portion configured for generally mating engagement with the facing surfaces of the clamping member and vise jaw causes the wedge-shaped portion of the insert member to be captured between the clamping member and the vise jaw. The insert member is also formed with a gripping surface for securing a workpiece on the mill vise.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,669 (Gerry) describes a machine vise having jaw plates carried by each jaw of the machine vise. The jaw plates provide a steady rest structure and effectively and efficiently reduce the set up time required to arrange numbers of like pieces of work in predetermined clamped relationship within and between the jaw plates.
An object of this invention is to provide a compound soft jaw for use in a machine vise.
Another object of this invention is to provide a compound soft jaw for a machine vise where a template for a workpiece is formed in the compound soft jaw.
Further, another object of this invention is to provide a compound soft jaw for use in a machine vise where multiple templates for different workpieces may be formed within the compound soft jaw.
Still further, another object of this invention is to provide a compound soft jaw for use in a machine vise having a replaceable soft jaw member into which the templates of the workpieces are cut.
To accomplish at least one of these objects and other objects, a compound soft jaw includes a primary jaw member generally formed of steel and a first secondary jaw member generally formed of aluminum. The primary jaw member is secured to a receiving plate of the machine vice. The first secondary jaw member is secured to the primary jaw member. The first secondary jaw member is machined to have a cutting template formed therein such that as the workpiece is secured within the machine vise, the workpiece is machined according to the template. Upon completion of machining of the workpiece, the first secondary jaw member is replaceable by a second secondary jaw member into which a second cutting template is formed.
The primary jaw member has a height less than a height of the receiving plate. The secondary jaw member is placed on the primary jaw member and is forced into contact with a surface of the receiving plate onto which the primary jaw member is secured. The secondary jaw member as forced to the receiving plate is then supported by the receiving plate and prevents the secondary jaw member from movement during securing the workpiece within the machine vise.
Rather than replace the first secondary jaw member, the second secondary jaw member may in fact be the first secondary jaw member. The first secondary jaw member is removed from the primary jaw member, rotated or inverted, and re-secured to the primary jaw member, with a second cutting template formed therein.
The compound soft jaw has at least one fastener of a first type to secure the primary jaw member to the receiving plate. Preferably there are two of the first type fasteners with which to secure the primary jaw member to the receiving plate. The two first type fasteners secure the primary jaw member to the receiving plate with a torque of greater than approximately 250 in./lbs. and are xc2xdxe2x80x3xc3x9713 cap screws. The cap screws are placed in openings formed in the primary jaw member so as to secure the primary jaw member fastener to the receiving plate.
The compound soft jaw further includes at least one of a second type fastener to secure the secondary jaw member to the primary jaw member. Preferably there are three second type fasteners that secure the secondary jaw member to the primary jaw member. The three second type fasteners secure the secondary jaw member to the primary jaw member with a torque of greater than approximately 250 in./lbs. and are xc2xcxe2x80x3xc3x9720 cap screws. The cap screws are placed in opening in the secondary jaw member to secure the secondary jaw member to the primary jaw member.
The primary jaw member, in addition to being formed of steel, may be formed of a material such as aluminum, brass, copper, plastic, wood, wood products. Similarly, the secondary jaw member, in addition to being formed of aluminum, may be formed of a material such as steel, brass, copper, plastic, wood, or wood products.